Battle of La Rochelle

Significance

The Battle of La Rochelle was a naval engagement fought on 22 and 23 June 1372 during the Hundred Years' War, pitting a Castilian fleet under Admiral Ambrosio Boccanegra against an English fleet commanded by John Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke. The battle arose in the context of a French siege of La Rochelle, with the Castilian fleet dispatched to strike the English forces operating in support of that effort. English casualties reached 8,000, indicating a severe defeat for the English fleet. The outcome demonstrated the strategic weight of the Castilian alliance with France, which allowed the Franco-Castilian coalition to project naval force against English positions along the Atlantic coast during this phase of the Hundred Years' War.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (2)